A crane boom typically includes spaced sheaves over which a hoist rope may be reeved for use in raising and lowering objects of interest. In order to assist in securing the rope in place during use, a rope retainer or keeper may be fixed in place adjacent to the sheave. This retainer is typically in the form of a shaft mounted between brackets supported by a head of the boom, which helps to prevent the rope from losing contact with the sheave during the lifting operation and otherwise (such as during transport).
In this arrangement, an operator must access the boom head, which is typically high off the ground, and disassemble the rope retainer to reeve or adjust the rope. The conventional assembly creates a number of disadvantages, since the shaft must be unbolted and withdrawn from the corresponding mounting structures, at which point it is no longer supported and must also be held. Using only two hands, the operator must thus control the location of multiple parts and tools, all potentially while attempting to adjust the rope. This creates opportunities for tools and parts to be dropped, adding complexity to the process and slowing down the operation of readying the crane for use or repairing it.
Accordingly, a need exists for an improved and simplified rope retainer which eliminates the need for tools, decreases the number of parts involved, and speeds up the process of adjusting the rope relative to the sheaves.